Gopher Football
The score remained the same until late in the second quarter. That’s when some big plays turned things the Boilermakers’ way. First, there was a 51-yard field goal that was blocked by Purdue and returned into Minnesota territory. That mistake was quickly turning into a TD for the Boilers. Minnesota seemed unfazed, taking the ball to the Purdue four yard line on the next possession with less than a minute left in the half. However, the next big play ended any hope of the Gophers retaking the lead before the intermission. Purdue linebacker George Hall intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone.
The sad thing for the Gophers was that they clearly dominated the first half statistically. They had 15 first downs to Purdue’s 8. The Minnesota defense had Purdue 0-for-4 in third down conversions, which has been a huge weakness for the “œD” in the past. The only areas Purdue had an edge was a slight 12-yard advantage in passing yards and that big turnover. Throw in the blocked field goal and its clear why those stats didn’t result in a lead for the Gophers.
The critical mistakes continued right away in the second half. Bryan Cupito fumbled on a sack in the team’s opening drive of the half. That led to a 36-yard field goal for Purdue which had already scored a touchdown to start the third quarter, giving them a 20-7 lead.
Amir Pinnix was the huge bright spot on offense. Pinnix almost single-handedly kept the game from getting away from the Gophers. Amir gained 62 of the 65 yards on the Gophers’ touchdown drive to end the 3rd quarter. The big blow was a 39-yard run by Pinnix, of course. Through three quarters, Pinnix already had 160 yards rushing and was averaging nearly seven yards a carry. He had no less than 220 all-purpose yards for the game.
However, the Gophers had no answer on defense. Purdue scored another touchdown with about 11 minutes left in the game. Once again the Minnesota secondary couldn’t defend big pass plays and also committed a critical interference penalty.
Overall, I still thought the Gopher defense looked improved. Dominique Barber was the most impressive. Miss tackles were still too numerous, however, and the defense was aided by some misfires by Curtis Painter to some very open receivers.
The real killers in the game were the turnovers and that blocked field goal. Cupito did not look sharp again. You have to expect more from a senior quarterback with all the experience he has. Yes, you can point to some good numbers Cupito put up passing in this game but that is offset by the fact that he played a big part in the Gophers’ two turnovers. Those turnovers cost the Gophers at least six points and a tie, more likely a win.
Minnesota did score a touchdown with a little over six minutes left, converting two fourth down plays on the drive including the scoring play. They actually had the ball near midfield with just over two minutes left. A sack forced a Gopher punt and that was pretty much it with the Gopher defense not able to make one more stop. Even though it was 4th and 13 after that sack it was a questionable call by the coaches to not go for it, but with Cupito being the erratic quarterback that he is I guess they thought the defense could do no worse. It would have been fun to see the Gophers pull off even more 4th down miracles, like a few teams have done against them, but the coaches didn’t have the stomach to keep rolling the dice.
Yes, the Gophers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today. Time and time again, they let Purdue off the hook with stupid penalties, turnovers and questionable coaching decisions. Even with all those mistakes pilled up, the game was for the Gophers to take with two minutes to go. No one stepped up to make it happen. Instead, a penalty and a sack put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
Purdue is not a great team. Maybe they will improve as the season goes on and they do have a favorable Big Ten schedule. Nevertheless, the Gophers got them when they were vulnerable, which makes this loss even more frustrating. To their credit, the Boilermakers found a way to win which is what good teams do.
For the Gophers, it doesn’t get any easier next week with Michigan coming to the Metrodome. The only break the Gophers may get is a bye on October 7 when they are supposed to play Penn State at home, that is if there isn’t a conflict with a Twins playoff game. The Gophers may well need that week to regroup before the season completely gets away from them.